In existing surgical practice, surgeons must use their finger tips to identify obscured vasculature. In a minimally invasive context, this is accomplished through the use of a hand port. A hand port is a sealable insert that permits surgeons to insert their entire hand into the peritoneum and manipulate tissues, palpate, etc. A critical disadvantage of this approach is that it leaves the patient with a 6-8 cm incision scar with attendant post-operative pain and increased infection/complications.
In minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures, surgeons use long thin instruments to manipulate tissues through small “keyhole” incisions in the patient. MIS procedures typically have dramatically reduced recovery times as compared to non-minimal counterparts. A key disadvantage of MIS tools is that they are challenging for the surgeons to use correctly and they significantly minimize the capability to directly experience the anatomy at the distal tip of the instrument. Some have addressed this problem by displaying information gathered at the distal end of the surgical tool visually, or by using complex shape deformation displays.